Lena Luthor, Happy Birthday!
by EdenSinger
Summary: Lena has, thus far, for reasons mysterious and unknown, refused to tell Kara her real birthday. This, however, does not stop the Girl of Steel from trying to catch her favourite gal-pal out. This story was originally written in script-form for the WhooshBangPow channel on YouTube, where the collaborated version was acted out by Divina & Jess, as part of 'SuperCorp FanFic Theatre'.
1. Chapter 1

Part 1.

Lena was sitting at the desk in her office, staring at the stock-market exchange rates for L-corp on her computer screen when suddenly, a knock on the door snatched her from her graph-infused reverie.

"Knock, knock! Lena?" a doughnut-sweet voice said, the sound of which immediately put a smile on Lena's face. "I'm sorry I keep bursting in like this but I know what a workaholic you are and I wanted to make sure you're giving yourself a break."

"What are friends for, right?" Lena beamed from across the room.

She stood up and crossed the office floor, eager to see Kara in.

"Exactly!" the blonde gushed, hugging Lena with one arm, while concealing something behind her back with the other.

When Lena looked at her quizzically, Kara revealed her other hand, producing a stunning bouquet of flowers, which she extended towards her.

"These are for you," she said smugly.

"Oh! Plumerias!" Lena accepted the bouquet, somewhat taken aback. "My favourites! Thank you, Kara… You're so sweet. But... What's the occasion?"

"Happy Birthday…?" Kara tilted her head with a cheeky, hopeful grin plastered over it.

Lena tilted her own head in confusion.

"Umm... Today is not my birthday," she chuckled.

"Oh. Well," Kara's voice turned flat, her spirit deliberately deflated to illustrate her point better. "Since you won't _tell_ me when your birthday is, you can't really blame a girl for trying, can you?!"

"I… Just don't understand all the fuss, you know?" Lena was amused at Kara's dramatic show but was secretly moved that the reporter cared so much to know her birthday. "What's the point of celebrating a birthday?"

"Um, food? Cake?!" the blonde replied matter-of-factly, almost offended. "And it's a great excuse for all your family and friends to get together and show you how much they love you."

Alas, the mention of family genuinely deflated Lena's spirit.

"I-I wouldn't know, I guess," she responded, trying to maintain the smile from only a moment ago.

"Oh, uhh... Sorry, I forgot…" Kara's face turned pale when she realised her mistake. "Your family... The Luthors… I… Sorry."

"It's alright," Lena did her best to dismiss the whole thing and showed Kara to the couch. "But, yeah… Mother always made a big deal out of Lex's birthdays… And when it came to mine, it just never…"

She smirked at the memory as though it was irrelevant but Kara could see right through the facade.

"I'm really sorry, Lena. I didn't mean to remind you," she said, feeling sorry for everything that her best friend had been put through by her monstrous stepmother.

"It's okay. It's not your fault…" Lena worked hard to pick up her smile again. "I'm glad that _you_ , at least, care."

"I do. And I always will," Kara replied in a way that she hoped would convey her seriousness on the matter.

"You're sweet," Lena smiled genuinely now.

No matter what the circumstances, Kara always managed to make her feel better… And bring about that comforting, radiating warmth in her heart that made her feel safe and loved, unlike anything that Lena could recall ever quite feeling before.

"So what does 'a perfectly normal' family do to celebrate a birthday?" she added, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Well, I don't know what a 'normal' family does," Kara smirked to herself, "But my sister and I, we go crazy! We order takeaways, get cake, go to the movies, go dancing... Or at least that's what we _used_ to do before she got all busy with Detective Dimples."

"Well, I guess now that you have Mike, you get to do all that stuff with him," Lena reminded her.

"Uhh, yeah... Yeah, I guess so," Kara responded with a slight frown, as though remembering something unpleasant.

"It sounds like it would be fun…" Lena added.

Though she smiled as she said this, her lip twitched in doubt. Once again, Kara could tell that her friend was putting on a pretence. Most likely because Lena did not have family or a special someone to celebrate her birthdays with, she concluded.

"I'm sorry, Lena... I didn't mean to make you feel worse," she said, feeling genuinely guilty for bringing up birthdays at all!

"No, it's okay!" Lena placed her hand over Kara's. "It really isn't your fault. In some ways I'm very lucky! I mean, how many people receive such beautiful flowers on their birthdays, let alone on their 'could-be birthdays'?"

Kara chuckled.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I don't actually know my own birthday," she said.

"Oh! How's that?" Lena narrowed her eyes.

She did not know this about Kara.

"Well, when I crash-landed on—" Kara started to explain but quickly realised her own blunder. Telling Lena the truth, however, was out of the question for her own sake, "—Innn… the hospital, I mean, out-out of my mother's um... It-it, uhh, was almost midnight but there-there was a power-cut and the nurses didn't know whether I was born at one minute to midnight or one minute after midnight!"

She threw her hands in the air as though in astonishment at the absurdity of such an event and chuckled in an exaggerated way that was common for her whenever forced to lie.

"That's crazy!" Lena responded, finding Kara's explanation hard to believe. "So... No one was wearing a watch at the time you were born?"

"Yeah, um, it was a-it was a reeeally bad electrical storm that caused the power-cut," Kara continued while inwardly praying to Rao to make it stop, "And-and it affected everything! The clocks were spinning like crazy... Time seemed to stand still for what felt like years!"

She burst into a nervous giggle when she realised she could not stop her verbal diarrhoea.

"It was like some really weird episode of a sci-fi tv show, like X-files or Smallville or something!"

By now she was laughing maniacally.

"Right," Lena smiled and nodded, knowing better.

Kara cleared her throat, painfully aware that she had just made an idiot out of herself in front of Lena Luthor.

"So! Umm, do you-do you have much work left to, um, do... Tonight?" she said and adjusted her spectles, trying to reclaim her dignity.

"Mmm, some," Lena replied uniformly, her look serious. "But I keep getting these headaches and... I'm starting to think that maybe I need glasses."

"Oh! Well, heh!" Kara chuckled. "Glasses _are_ important!"

"Yeah… I'm beginning to _see_ that," Lena replied and fixed her gaze on Kara.

It was in moments like these, when Lena's stare lingered over her peculiarly long, turning peculiarly intense, that made Kara feel unsettled, made her heart beat fast, as if somehow Lena saw right _through_ her.

"Maybe... You wouldn't mind if I tried yours on?" Lena added, her stare locked with Kara's. "Just to see, you know. Maybe we'll end up sharing the same lens prescription."

 _Oh crap_ , Kara thought but promptly realised there was nothing she could do to get out of this. Best thing to do was to play along as if everything was just fine.

"Uhh... Yeah, uh, sure," she said as nonchalantly as she could.

Reluctantly, she removed her glasses and handed them to Lena, who delicately placed them on. While Lena blinked beneath the lens over her eyes, Kara avoided looking in her direction, trying to conceal her face as inconspicuously as possible.

"Hmm... That's strange," Lena said, holding the spectacles by the temples with both hands. She frowned as she looked about the room. "I don't see any difference."

"Yeah, uh, they're-they're prescription, so…" Kara said, turning really nervous now, trying very hard to hide her face from Lena.

Lena leisurely removed the glasses and returned them to Kara, scrutinising the other with narrowed eyes and a sly smile as Kara just about smacked the glasses back on her face, her lips pressed into a downward arch.

Lena waited a moment, while Kara avoided looking her in the eyes. Since it was obvious that Kara was hiding something from her, Lena almost enjoyed making her would-be-friend squirm in the spot. Almost. Except that Lena could never bear the thought of being a deliberate cause of Kara's discomfort.

"Tell you what," she said carefully. "I think... I think you can be trusted with a secret."

"A-always," Kara replied uncertainly, certain of one thing only: Whatever it was, whatever she needed, Kara Danvers Zor-El would always be there for Lena Luthor.

Lena shuffled along the couch towards Kara, leaned close to her and whispered into her ear.

"It's not my birthday today... But... You _could_ try again tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Lena was in her office when Kara showed up, knocking, peering from behind the door.

"Are my eyes deceiving me," she said with a bright, cheeky grin, "Or am I looking at the CEO of L-Corp, Lena Luthor herself, _on_ her _birthday_?!"

The commotion of Kara's excitement made Lena smile and blush. Pushing back the chair, she stood up and made her way towards her most favourite person in the world, beaming in return.

"Happy Birthday, Ms Luth—uhh, Lena!" Kara exclaimed enthusiastically. From behind her back she produced a bouquet of lilies. "These are for you."

"Thank you, Kara!" Lena accepted the bouquet gratefully, positively glowing in Kara's affection for her. "Lilies! They are beautiful!"

Lena wrapped her arms tightly about her dearest friend's shoulders and basked in the sensation of their embrace for a moment.

 _How does one person carry and spread so much love and warmth?_ she wondered as she closed her eyes.

"I saw them and thought of you!" Kara added just as enthusiastically.

Lena inhaled their scent and smiled brightly.

"I love them," she replied.

She crossed the office floor towards the desk and placed the bouquet in a tall vase, next to the plumerias that Kara had given her only the day before.

"I wonder what Mike has to say about this though…" she added, smirking.

"About what? You mean me giving my friend flowers every day?! Pft!" Kara waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, you started it!"

"I did! But, well… I mean _lilies_ in particular," Lena responded, arching her eyebrow. "You know… Because of their meaning and everything."

Kara shrugged and shook her head.

"You haven't seen 'Imagine Me and You'? 'You're a wanker number nine' doesn't ring a bell? No…? Okay!"

Lena cleared her throat.

"Please, have a seat," she gestured towards the infamous cream-coloured couch, then promptly sat down next to Kara.

But when she next looked up at Kara, she saw that the blonde did not appear so at ease.

"What's wrong?" Lena's look fell.

"To be honest…" Kara spoke then hesitated as if debating whether to continue.

Lena blinked at her, obviously growing concerned.

"Is everything alright, Kara?"

"Yes! Oh, yes," Kara replied then scrunched up her nose. "Well… No. Not really."

"What's going on?" Lena was growing increasingly alarmed, fearing something deathly serious.

"It's to do with Mike," Kara held her breath in. "Things haven't been going so well."

"Oh…?" Lena frowned. "What happened?"

"Nothing I want to get into too much detail about," Kara replied decidedly.

"Kara... If something's happened," Lena persisted out of concern, "You know I'm here for you."

"I know…" Kara replied, expecting nothing less from one of the most caring people she knew. "But... It's your birthday and I don't want to make you sad—"

"You are infinitely more important to me than any birthday," Lena retaliated before even thinking the sentence through.

Kara's eyes fluttered behind the lens of her glasses. Deep down inside her, something else fluttered too.

"Okay, well…" she said slowly, "It turns out that he's not the person I thought he was. Some days, I felt like we were just from two... entirely different... rival... planets!"

"Oh…" Lena tilted her head a little, her eyes turning sad as she tried to take in Kara's tense body language. "I'm sorry to hear that… That's no good."

"Yeah... And the truth is…" Kara took another deep breath in, "We actually broke up almost a month ago."

"Oh, Kara... I... I don't know what to say…"

Lena was genuinely shocked. She withheld a small gasp as the implications of Kara's words unravelled in her mind.

"I'm really sorry... Are you... Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah, I mean, I was upset for a while…" Kara admitted, staring down into her hands. "Thank Ra-god for potstickers, you know?! But now, I'm glad I ended it. It's like... Everything was all about him and now, I get my life back…"

"I am so sorry, Kara…" Lena's voice turned tender, full of compassion. She placed her hand on Kara's shoulder and gave it a gentle, affectionate squeeze. "I really am. Is there anything I can do to make this easier on you?"

"Not really," Kara shook her head, then looked up to meet Lena's gaze. "Just being here with you makes me feel better."

The words meant a great deal to Lena and softened her already gentle heart. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled at Kara, who could not help but smile back, unable to imagine being anywhere else except on that couch, next to Lena.

For a moment the two women adoringly gazed at one another… And a sweet moment of silence lingered on. That is, before Lena's expression suddenly changed and her eyes turned large, excited, as if she'd remembered something important.

"Oh, I know!" she exclaimed.

She grabbed her cellphone and speed-dialled a number, while Kara observed in confusion.

"Diane," Lena's voice turned authoritative, "Make a dinner order for two and have it delivered to my office. Broiled lobster tails, orange pistachio-stuffed grilled scallops, parmesan-fennel rolls, and kale-salad."

 _Kale-salad? Again?!_ Kara could not help herself but scrunch-up her nose in distaste.

"Oh, and potstickers," Lena added, directing a wink at the girl that sat opposite her.

Hearing the magic word, Kara's look transformed entirely. She beamed at Lena with bright eyes and an excited smile. She was unsure whether she beamed because of the prospect of potstickers or because of Lena's wink, but she was certainly aware that she beamed regardless, overjoyed, giddy, as if somebody had magically created an ice-cream cone in her hand.

"Oh and uhh… A side dish of mashed potatoes," Lena whispered into the receiver, turning her head away, hoping Kara wouldn't catch it.

But it was too late.

"Mashed potatoes?" Kara tilted her head, an amused, puzzled smile twisting her features.

"Don't judge me," Lena tried to justify herself as though discussing a serious topic, "But, sometimes… Even with all the fine-dining restaurants around… Sometimes, I simply crave a plain dish that I know regular families like to eat. And there is nothing more regular than 'mashed potatoes', right? Plus, there's a really great Irish pub round the corner where they serve _really_ good mashed potatoes."

Kara giggled at Lena's elaborate explanation, finding it utterly adorable.

"You don't mind, do you?" Lena's expression turned all sheepish.

"Not at all!" Kara laughed and smiled big at her. "You should know you have nothing to fear from the 'potsticker-girl,' Lena. Besides, who doesn't love a good Irish potato?!"

"Oh, thank god," Lena exhaled, her demeanour relaxing.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Kara blurted out and reached for her bag, which she had left at the foot of the couch. From inside it, she pulled out a bottle of pink-tinted wine. "I got you this - a treat to celebrate your birthday!"

"Rosé!" Lena exclaimed and accepted the bottle into both hands. "Now you're talking!"

She got up from the couch, crossed the room and from a concealed cupboard in the wall withdrew two wine glasses. She returned to the couch and poured the pink liquid.

"Oh, that's enough for me!" Kara protested.

Lena shot her a suspicious look but halfway stopped pouring wine into Kara's glass.

"I just don't really need to drink," Kara tried to explain herself, "Since it doesn't really affect—I mean, since it really does affect me, a lot! Like, wine goes straight to my head!"

Her sudden nerves turned into sudden awkward giggles, while on the inside she died a little for having to lie once again.

"I'm such a lightweight!" she waved her hand about as if to prove her case.

"Oh god, me too," Lena replied and sat back on the couch, wine-glass in hand.

Kara picked up her own glass and sipped on it lightly.

 _Good save, Zor-El!_ she exhaled in relief.

"Do you want to talk some more about Mike?" Lena took in a mouthful of wine, her previous concern creeping back. "Because I don't mind. I just want to make sure you're okay."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Kara protested, waving her hand dismissively. "There's not much to say really. Besides, it's your birthday… So how about we talk about something _you_ want to talk about."

Kara put her wine glass to her lips and let the liquid fill her mouth.

"Okay, then," Lena conceded. "Let's talk about Supergirl."

Kara gulped back the wine, choking on it for a brief second.

"Oh! Uhh… Sure!" she replied once her airways had cleared. "Wh-what would you like to know?"

"What is she like?" Lena asked eagerly, star-struck sparkles lighting up her eyes. She tucked her feet beneath herself and settled into the couch, one hand holding the wine glass, the other supporting her head as she playfully gazed at Kara. "How long have you known each other?"

"Not very long," Kara replied looking elsewhere, her lips pressed into a tight line.

"Well, what does she have to say about your break-up with Mike?" Lena persisted.

"We, umm, have a strictly professional relationship," Kara cleared her throat, "So I-I don't really tell her personal things like that."

Lena eyed her suspiciously.

"Oh, come on, Kara," she groaned.

"What?" Kara stared blankly.

"It's SO obvious!" Lena arched an eyebrow.

"Wh-what is?" Kara responded, her eyes turning big.

"You and Supergirl…?" Lena added, trying to coax the answer out of Kara, in-between wine-sips. "Every time I call you, you always seem to be 'together'… And you seem to have so much 'in common'…"

"That… That doesn't have to mean anything," Kara protested, her face draining of colour.

She could feel her stomach twisting into panicked knots.

"Oh, please," Lena was indignant. "You don't have to sneak around me, you know. I'm your friend! Besides, it's so obvious."

Kara's brow knotted with unease. Perspiration started to break over it.

"It-it is…?"

"Yes!" Lena exclaimed. "Kara, I _know_ … I know that you're in a relationship with Supergirl."

"Say what?!" Kara just about choked on air. "I mean, _what_?! I mean, um… Uh, no! No, I-I'm not dating Supergirl!"

Lena stared at her blankly, wine-glass suspended mid-air.

"You're not?"

"No! No... That would just be... Weird!"

Kara scrunched up her nose in distaste as if Lena had just offered her kale-salad.

"Oh," Lena replied.

For a moment she appeared to be confused, as though contemplating the implications of this completely unexpected information.

"But... You even look alike," she added. "I thought it was a classic lesbian thing?"

Kara shook her head slowly, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward.

"Oh… In that case… I really apologise, Kara," Lena replied with a hand pressed to her chest, owning her guilt. "I just… I don't know what I was thinking to be honest."

"It's okay," Kara tried to dismiss the whole thing.

However, the awkwardness lingered and she turned to eagerly drinking the wine from her glass.

"Well, in that case…" Lena added casually, "How about you invite her over and we play 'Spin the Bottle'?"

Kara spat out her drink all over the L-corp couch.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena and Kara were sitting on the floor of Lena's office with an empty bottle of wine laid out on the floor between them. Lena's shoes were off and her hair uncharacteristically disheveled. Kara was frazzled too but for an entirely different reason to Lena.

"God, I think I've had too much too drink…" Lena Luthor, the CEO of National City's largest corporation said.

She felt a burp coming up, or maybe it was vomit, but being the lady that she was, managed to keep it down.

"Uh, yeah… Me too, I'm so… Not myself, ya know?" Kara forced on a chuckle, entirely sober.

She had abandoned the idea of acting tipsy once she had realised that Lena was too drunk to tell the difference, which was a little while ago.

Kara had never been in a situation like this with Lena before and if she were being perfectly honest, she wasn't sure how she felt about it. Of course, seeing Lena drunk, she found her as adorable as ever, if not even more so now that a funny sort of accent came to the forefront every time the CEO opened her mouth to speak, or rather, every time she opened her mouth to _slur_ … However, being put on the spot while interchanging identities every couple of minutes was certainly _not_ adorable, Kara realised, dismayed.

"I mean, why are people obsessed with birthdays anyway?" Lena frowned and the burp escaped her after all.

She put a hand over her mouth all shocked-like.

"Whose turn issit?" she asked.

"Uhh, that would be um, S-Supergirl's," Kara replied and cleared her throat.

She shifted uncomfortably in the spot, working hard to keep her agitation at bay.

"Can you believe that Supergirl, Girl of Steel, rrrole model to little boys and girls, embodiment of Girl-Power herselves, is a _chain-smoker?_ " Lena exclaimed, bewildered.

"Nope. Never would've believed it," Kara shook her head and pressed her lips into a flat line.

"I mean, please don't tell her I sedso, but with the rate at which she keeps flying-off to have a smoke," Lena's eyes turned large with disapproval, "She must have a _serious_ addiction!"

Kara had no choice but to disapprovingly nod along.

"Although… No offence, Kara…" Lena frowned, causing her eyes to naturally close from drunkenness, "But at the rate _you_ keep running off to the basroom too, I think you could have a serious bladder infection…"

Kara was tempted to say something in her own defence but quickly came to the conclusion that anything she could say would likely only make things worse. She pressed her lips shut against every instinct that urged her to justify herself and reconciled with the fact that she simply had to let Lena believe she really could have a bladder infection.

"I really think you should haveitt checkedout…" Lena added, her speech slow and soft. "'Cause, as your busymate, I think I need to tell you that maybe Mike gave you something, y'know?"

She leaned forward towards Kara as though about to share top-secret, classified information with her. Kara hesitantly leaned forward too.

"Like, I remember, boarding school," Lena's breath smelled like a drunken old man's and yet, sweet and more intoxicating than wine ever could be to Kara, "Roulette was constantly complaining of it 'burning when she peed'… And it turned out that she had—"

"—Oh, look! Supergirl's back!" Kara interrupted, prompting Lena to abandon her story and look towards the balcony. "And I have to run off to the… To the… Uhhh, yeah, bathroom," she cleared her throat, "'Cause possible… Possible… Chlamydia… Calls. Yup."

Lips pressed into a downward arch, Kara jumped to her feet and disappeared in the direction of the bathroom, while _almost_ simultaneously, Supergirl landed on Lena's balcony and entered the office, her expression as grim as Kara's was only a few seconds ago.

"Supergirl!" Lena exclaimed as though she hadn't seen her in months. "I can't believe you're here… You savoured my life! I mean, before. Like sooo many times…"

Supergirl sat down in Kara's spot, silent, disconcerted.

"You don't knowdis," Lena swivelled the remaining bit of wine in her glass in Supergirl's direction, "Bur I kiss my poster of you every night."

Lena giggled in a girly manner, entirely unbefitting her usually cool, calm and collected character, drained the last bit of the rosé from her glass, then hiccupped.

"I… Think you've had enough to drink, Miss Luthor," Supergirl said in an authoritative tone, though her heart thumped hard in her chest.

"Ughh," Lena made a disgusted face, her school-girl giggling ruined, "How many times do I have to say, call me 'Lena'… Suppey!"

Supergirl, very unimpressed at this butchering of her name, clenched her jaw and used the best of her superpowers to resist the urge to say something.

"Go on…" Lena added, oblivious. "Is your turn to spin the bottle. Don't bother waiting for Kara, she'll take forever in the bathsroom."

Supergirl sighed and turned the bottle. However, in her agitation, she neglected to take care to not use her super-strength and thus caused the bottle to spin like a fan for a good minute. Lena stared down at it, mouth open in awe, mesmerised.

"Wow…" she whispered, genuinely impressed, "Thas amazing!"

When the bottle came to a standstill at last, pointing clearly at Supergirl, she asked:

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Supergirl replied.

"Again?!" Lena protested, making a face as though L-corp had just lost a cool million in the stock exchange. "No fair! Nothing's too scary for the Girl of Steel to do… You should grow some ovaries of steel and pick truth for once, Supergirl!"

But Supergirl did not dare to budge.

"Fine," Lena conceded.

She took a moment to think of something fun, silly, crazy, spin-the-bottle-worthy for Supergirl to do. When an idea eventually came to her, she turned to look Supergirl squarely in the eyes, eyebrow arched in a mischievous manner.

Supergirl gulped. This did not seem like it was going to be heading in a direction that was beneficial for her. She wondered whether this was, at the very long last, Lena's 'Luthor' showing.

"Supergirl," Lena said in a slightly more sober, slightly more ominous tone. "I dare you… To _kiss_ someone."

Supergirl stared back at her blankly. She gulped again.

"Uhhhh… W-who do you want me to kiss, Miss L—I mean, Lena?"

Her Super-suit suddenly felt a little too skin-tight causing her to squirm uncomfortably in the spot.

"Anyone. Playing. This. Game," Lena's gaze remained fixed on her opponent/mate.

Supergirl gulped again and tried to shrug away the perspiration that broke out all over her body. _Why does it always feel so humid in Lena's office?!_ she wondered.

"You can kiss Kara if you like," Lena suggested, smirking. "If you manage to hunt her down, that is…"

"Actually, I think you were right before," Supergirl forced on a pathetic chuckle. "I think, I think I should pick 'truth' this time."

"Oh, _come on!_ " Lena rolled her eyes. "It's too late now, you already chose 'dare'! Don't tell me Supergirl can face off and defeat monsters from the space-deep but she is too chicken to play 'spin the bottle'!"

"I am not!" Supergirl protested. "But… You are drunk and-and…"

"And what?" Lena gazed at her openly, irritably, adoringly.

The blue of Lena's eyes suddenly took Kara's breath away. Even now, even when she was clearly so ridiculously intoxicated, to Kara Lena appeared as beautiful as ever… And Kara did not know what to do.

Lena, meanwhile, stared back into Supergirl's eyes and thought she saw a flicker of something familiar… Like the stars of faraway galaxies she thought she had seen whenever she dreamed of Kara Danvers.

"You are drunk," Supergirl looked away, "And it doesn't feel right."

"I don't mind…" Lena shrugged casually.

She closed her eyes, stuck out her neck, and puckered her lips at the other, coming dangerously close.

"I… I-I," Supergirl panicked, "Need a cigarette."

In the next instant, she whooshed out of the balcony door and disappeared, leaving a trail of wind and emptiness behind her.

Opening her eyes, seeing that Supergirl was gone, Lena's spirit deflated.

"Who would've thought?" she sighed, disappointed. "Supergirl's kryptonite: Marlboro lite."

She scrambled off the floor and moved to sit on the couch. Head leaning on hand, hair messy, mascara smudged, she took a deep breath in. She was growing tired of playing this game.

When Kara next entered the room, after her 'bathroom' break, she joined Lena on the couch.

"Truth or dare?" the CEO spoke in her cool tone, the one she used with everyone _except_ Kara.

"Truth, I-I think…" Kara mumbled, still disconcerted by what had happened only a moment before.

"When will you tell me the truth that you are Supergirl?" Lena asked.

She looked at Kara point-blank, serious, looking far more sober than she did a few moments ago.

Kara stared back at her in shock. The surprise of Lena's question was too great to illicit anything other than pure silence from her.

Moments passed, the office remained quiet.

"You know…" Kara said calmly, if not a little _too_ calmly.

Lena smirked, shook her head.

"Of course I know, Kara," she replied.

She covered her eyes with her hand, obviously hurt for being taken for an idiot by her most favourite person in the world.

"How-how long have you known?" Kara asked, her voice and expression somber, breath suspended in her lungs.

Lena scoffed. She knew that this would be Kara's, Supergirl's, next question.

"How long do you think?" she responded blankly. "Since the very first time you saved my life as Supergirl, of course. I mean, no offence Kara but your disguise kind of sucks. After you pulled me out of that helicopter, I remember thinking: 'Either that cute 'CatCo' reporter has an identical twin who's a super-alien or she really thinks that glasses are an adequate disguise.'"

Her lip twitched into a small sad smile. She looked down at her lap to better conceal her heartbreak.

Kara swallowed. A sore lump arose in her throat.

"Are you mad at me?" she whispered.

She held her breath while Lena deliberated how to answer this. The CEO had known that this question too would follow from her 'best friend'.

"Mad? That you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth?" Lena's eyes watered. She tried to keep her voice steady. "No… I'm not mad, Kara. More like… Disappointed. And, huh, yeah. Kind of hurt."

She looked away and briefly wiped her eyes with her fingers, smudging and ruining her mascara entirely.

Seeing Lena so crushed, knowing that she was the cause of it, Kara's own heart just about broke in two.

"Lena…" she said gently, her voice full of remorse. She sought to catch the other's gaze. "It's not that I didn't trust you… It was never ever about that. I-I really need you to know that, okay?"

Lena looked at her briefly and gave a small, dismal smile, unconvinced.

"The truth is, I couldn't expose you to all the potential risks that come with knowing my true identity. I mean, think about it… It's not like people haven't tried to kill you often enough as it is! Imagine what kind of a target you'd become if the wrong person found out you're friends with Supergirl…"

Lena stared into her lap. She considered Kara's words carefully.

"Lena… I promised I would always protect you," Kara added, shuffling closer, desperate to make the situation better somehow. "So please know, this was my way of keeping that promise."

She placed her hand over Lena's and squeezed it tightly to reassure her.

Seeing Kara so close to her, feeling her touch, Lena's heart beat fast, lips parted…

"Well…" she said and took a deep breath in, "To be honest, I'm more upset that you've just confirmed I have fifty percent less friends than I thought I did."

"Oh... uhhh… Sorry!" Kara's voice turned all nervous once again.

She wasn't sure whether Lena was joking or not. She sat back on her heels once again to give her friend some space.

"Do you _know_ how hard it is for me to make friends?" Lena continued in the same streak. "Most people want to be friends with me either because I'm the CEO of National City's biggest company… Or because of my distracting jawline."

"I am _so_ sorry Lena… I really am," Kara replied earnestly. "You have my word that from now on I will always tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me Rao."

Hearing this, seeing how much Kara genuinely cared to reassure her, Lena's expression relaxed a little. Her features shifted into a small, hopeful smile.

"You promise?" she asked, looking up sideways at Kara.

"I promise," Kara replied, gazing back into Lena's eyes.

Reaching up with both hands, Kara removed the glasses from her face and folded them away.

"And…" she added, her voice gentle, "If you'll let me… I'd like to make it up to you."

"Oh yeah? How? Are you going to take me flying on a National City bus?" Lena chuckled, amused, having waited a long time to be able to call Kara out on this.

"Better than that," Kara replied, undeterred, sincere.

She held Lena's gaze as she worked up her courage. Her heart swelled with all the things she had been dying to say to her for the longest time.

"You were always more than a friend to me…" she admitted, shifting closer to Lena.

Kara gently lifted her hand and tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind Lena's ear, smoothing out her usually-smooth, tousled tresses, adoration radiating from her eyes. Her hand landed to rest on Lena's cheek, soft and warm.

Lena blinked back at her uncertainly, hardly able to believe what was happening. Her eyes flickered between Kara's eyes and her lips, her own lip quivering.

"Happy Birthday… Lena Luthor…" Kara whispered.

She leaned forward and slowly pressed her lips against Lena's, seeking to calm them at once, to dispel all of her fears and to declare, for the both of them, that from that moment on, she was home at last.


End file.
